ATHLETIC are "in a dogfight" and the players need to "roll the sleeves up" to find the results to get themselves out of it.

That's the view of Steven Whittaker, who believes that they have come up with better solutions after their dispiriting start to the Championship continued on Saturday.

Whittaker and Greg Shields have been placed in interim charge following Peter Grant's departure as manager, and took the team for Saturday's match at home to Greenock Morton.

Despite Matty Todd scoring his first goal for the club, cancelling out Gary Oliver's opener, a strike from ex-Par, Gozie Ugwu, and an Oliver penalty secured a 3-1 win for Gus MacPherson's team.

The three points earned by the Cappielow outfit took them out of the bottom two to eighth, five points ahead of Dunfermline, who remain bottom and four points adrift of Queen of the South in ninth.

It was a 13th league game without a win - Athletic are the only team in the SPFL yet to register one this season - and, speaking to Press Sport post-match, Whittaker acknowledged that they are in a relegation scrap.

"We're massively aware we're in a dogfight right now and we need everyone together to get out of it," he said.

"I'm sure they (the players) didn't think that (when they arrived at the club) but I'm pretty sure they're aware of it right now. That's what's been said in there, so they know they need to roll the sleeves up at the minute and try and get some results.

"We're here to try and win games and get us out of the position we're in and it wasn't achieved today. Regardless of some of the good play people thought we had done in the first half, it counts for nothing.

"We were caught out by a set play, the penalty, and then we're pushing and it ends up 3-1. We can have all of the ball and all the nice play, but it comes down to that grit and determination to try and do the right things at the right time, and we're just getting caught short on that a little bit."

Despite pulling level before half-time, Dunfermline appeared to lack intensity or tempo after the break, and Whittaker commented: "We didn't quite hit those heights and that's something we spoke about after the game, is why was that?

"It was probably just the choices within the game and the player on the ball. Morton probably put a little bit of pressure on our centre backs a little bit. They allowed us to play and build up a little bit easier in the first half, and the second half that wasn't the case.

"But we still have to come up with better answers than how we did. The game got scrappy and then that suited Morton more than us.

"They're all in there gutted and they're asking the questions, but it's them that have to come up with the answers. Together we have to come up with the answers."

Whittaker was asked if he and Shields would remain in charge for this Saturday's trip to Inverness Caledonian Thistle, or if they expected an announcement on a new manager, and he added: "From the word go, it was focus on this game and try and get the victory.

"We put a lot of hard work into this week, staff and players. It felt like we were prepared for the game, and I think a lot of that came out in the game, but these small margins and switching off at vital times is costing us.

"We'll regroup over the weekend and we'll see where we are next week."

Morton boss, Gus MacPherson, was understandbly pleased with his team's work, and said: "I thought the second half was a very, very accomplished performance.

"I thought Dunfermline at times had good possession, passed the ball reasonably well, but didn't really hurt us. Jack (Hamilton) has had a really good save at the death, where we got slack with the marking, but overall it was a solid, very very workmanlike performance. "